Where is he?
by aussiebornwriter
Summary: Homecoming. It's supposed to be the best night of every teenager's life. But how can it be the best night of your life if your friends and girlfriend betray you and your dad gets arrested for murder? Alternate take on episode 12, if Gladys had said yes to Jughead's plea. Only things don't go as planned. In fact, they rarely do.
1. Chapter 1

_**Set after the Homecoming dance, episode 12, when Juggie is at the phone booth. Plot takes a turn… :3 Please enjoy**_

* * *

Jughead's eyes glowed with joy as he heard his mother through the payphone. It was the night of homecoming, after he had broken the police tape and destroyed his dad's trailer. Only ten minutes ago, he had been told that his friends went behind his back and that his father had been arrested for murder. In a sudden urge of desperation, Jughead had hurried to the bus station. He needed some comfort, he needed a sense of security, needed someone to turn to. He smiled through the phone, finally happy some good had come out of tonight. "Great, mom. I'll get a ticket to Toledo and meet you. I should be there in the morning. Yeah, love you too. Bye." Jughead hung up the phone and smiled to himself. He was going to see his mother again, after so long.

He picked up his bag and wandered quickly over to the ticket station. Pushing the open, there was still a ticket conductor at the counter. Thanking his good luck, he hurried to the counter.

"Uh, can I get the soonest single one way ticket to Toledo please?" The woman looked up and scanned him.

"Hmm, the soonest bus is in ten minutes, and it's the last bus for the night. That do?" Jughead buried his hand in his pocket, reaching for money.

"Yes, that'll be great," the woman sighed and typed into her computer.

"A one-way ticket to Toledo is twenty dollars, kid." Jughead pulled out what money he had and out it on the counter. The woman exchanged a twenty dollar bill for a ticket. "Have a nice night, kid." Jughead nodded to her and stepped outside, walking over to the bus shelter.

* * *

"Why are you here." FP crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Clifford Blossom was sitting across from him. Clifford leaned forward, hands folded on the table and said,

"I need you to confess." FP raised his eyebrows.

"No way in hell. I am not confessing to something that I didn't do. I'm cleaning up my act for my son and wife. I'm not ruining it now." Clifford inched closer to FP.

"FP you confess to this murder, or I will make sure Jughead will face a fate worse than Jason." FP glared at him. Clifford glared back.

"No, Mr Blossom. There's no way you would." Clifford kept his poker face. He stood up and left, leaving FP alone. He wasn't sure what would happen, but FP had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

* * *

He was about to sit down when he heard footsteps. Footsteps moving very quickly, almost as if someone was running. Immediately on high alert, Jughead looked up, only to see Betty and Archie, running in his direction, both looking relieved. Suddenly anxious, Jughead took a step back, his bus ticket and bag still in his hand. As if just noticing the bag, Archie slowed down, looking hurt. Betty however, kept running until she was in Jughead's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Jughead hesitated, then reciprocated the motion, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"God, Jug, you scared us! I'm so, so sorry for lying to you, I just," Jughead pulled away and looked at her hard.

"Betty, stop. It's okay. I just, need some time." Betty looked down at his feet, just noticing the bag he had dropped when she ran at him.

"What does that mean," she asked, nervous for the answer. Jughead seemed very interested in his hands at the moment, staring at them intently. "Jug?" Betty questioned. Jughead finally looked up at her, meeting her eyes before shifting his gaze past Betty, to look at Archie. He sighed, before looking at Betty's pained hazel greens.

"I was just on the phone with my mom. With everything that's going on, I just feel like I need some time to breathe, you know? Just, clear my head. I'm going to Toledo for a week. I'm going to visit her and Jellybean, but I'm coming back." Betty nodded and looked at her feet.

Bright lights appeared behind them; the bus was here. It came to a shuddering stop in front of them, squeaking horribly. The door opened. "Anyone of you kids getting on?" a man in his early fifty's asked in a monotonous voice. Jughead raised his hand. The bus driver nodded and pulled out a cigarette.

Betty was on the verge of tears. "Hey," Jughead whispered. He placed his hand under Betty's chin, gently raising her head to look at him. "I'll be back before you know it. I'll call you in the morning," Betty nodded, not fully comprehending anything going on at the moment until she felt Jughead's lips on hers. It was brief yet sweet. Betty wanted this moment to last longer. She didn't want her boyfriend to go.

But Jughead pulled away. He sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. He waved at Archie before stepping onto the bus. He handed the driver his ticket before settling in on a seat near the front. The bus pulled away, leaving an uncomfortable Archie with an upset Betty.

"Oh, Arch. I feel so… low. I can't believe Jughead is leaving because of us." Archie looked at her hard.

"Betts, he's clearing his head. Taking a break. He'll be back and everything will be fine. Besides, he was almost as upset about leaving as you are. But he'll call you, and you guys will be fine. Come on." Betty and Archie made it to their respective houses, bidding each other goodnight.

When Betty was in her room, she sat on the ground and cried gently, hurt that Jughead left town because of her. She knew it wasn't entirely her fault. She knew that Jughead was upset about his father getting arrested too. But that didn't ease Betty's guilty conscience at all.

* * *

The bus shuddered and rattled as they pulled out of the station. Jughead pulled out his laptop and opened a document. He needed to forget everything for a while, get lost in the world that was writing. It was only him self and the driver, so the bus had an uncomfortable silence. It smelled of cigarette smoke and stale coffee.

After five minutes, Jughead heard the driver swear loudly before the bus swerved sharply, pushing Jughead against the window forcefully. The bus drove off the road. Jughead could just make out a red car on the highway facing the bus before he heard a shattering sound. Trees were everywhere, their strong, thick branches jutting out, shattering windows.

Jughead was on full panic mode. He wasn't safe. The bus kept driving, swerving to try and avoid trees. One branch broke Jughead's window. He was showered in glass, cutting his skin. He raised his hands to his face, protecting his eyes and mouth, when the bus hit a log.

It rolled over. All Jughead could feel was pain. It rained broken glass. The bus finally stopped. Jughead wanted to throw up. He felt nauseous and was desperate. He sat up, blinking away the spots that danced in his eyes. He heard footsteps behind him. Filled with fear, Jughead quickly whipped around only to be met with a sudden force, knocking him out cold.

* * *

Alice Cooper knocked on the door of Betty's room. "Come on Betty, rise and shine. Breakfast is on the table." Betty groaned, but sat up reluctantly. She checked her phone. It was seven a.m. She stretched, before padding downstairs. A large stack of pancakes was on the table. Betty sat down with her mother, grabbed a pancake and carefully picked up the bottle of maple syrup. "Betty, sweetheart, what's wrong? You seem awfully… gloomy today," Alice asked gently.

Ever since Polly told the Coopers she was staying at the Blossoms, Alice had been less rash than before; more careful. Betty took a shaky breath. "It's Jughead. He's gone to Toledo for a week to clear his head. I know he's hurting, and I know that it's because of me. His mom is in Toledo. What if… what if he decides he likes it there more? Where does that leave us? Me? He said he would call me, but I just…" Betty felt like crying again.

Alice took her daughter's hand, rubbing the top gently with her fingers. Alice sighed. "Betty, honey, Jughead just needs time to cool off. If he said he'd call you, he will call you. Or you can call him. Jughead has been on an emotional roller coaster and he needs to process it."

Betty badly wanted to snap at her mother that Alice had caused the 'emotional roller coaster', but she bit her tongue. It was no use arguing with her. So Betty just nodded. They finished their breakfast in silence, before Betty stood up and said,

"I'm going to get ready. I'm hanging with Veronica today." Alice just sighed and cleared the table.

* * *

Betty checked her phone for the fifteenth time that day. It was late at night and she and Veronica were at Veronica's penthouse. Veronica had no idea that Jughead had left town, or that Jughead had promised he would call Betty that morning, but didn't. "Okay B, what's up. You keep checking your phone as if it's your life source." Betty looked up at Veronica, and Veronica noticed the tears threatening to spill over Betty's water line.

"Oh, sweetie," Veronica wrapped Betty in a hug, which Betty returned immediately. Veronica could feel her shirt-covered shoulder getting damp, indicating Betty had let the waterworks win their battle. She rubbed her back, in a way she hoped was soothing. Veronica was really concerned. Last night was rough for all of them, especially Jughead and Betty.

Veronica saw Jughead's face when Betty told him that Alice inviting them for dinner was so she and Archie could break into FP's trailer. Jughead looked so betrayed. And then he said something about moving to Toledo, which Veronica was very confused about. Why would Jughead want to move to Toledo? And then, oh god, when they were told FP was arrested?

Veronica knew how it felt. She sympathized for Jughead. When her dad was arrested, Veronica was distraught. But her father was arrested for con, for being bad with money. Jughead's father was arrested for murder, which was totally different. But, Veronica knew that the lockbox in FP's trailer was placed there. But Veronica's dad had done business with the serpents, which Jughead's father was the leader of.

Veronica was brought back to reality when Betty pulled back and said, "It's Jughead. He hasn't called me yet." Veronica was confused. Jughead and Betty didn't really call each other, as far as she knew. And Betty shouldn't be so upset, should she?

"B, I'm gonna need more details here." Betty nodded and took a deep breath.

"After the dance, me and Arch went looking for Jughead," Veronica raised her eyebrows. They went without her? "And we found him. At the bus station." Betty looked at her hands. "He had bought a one-way ticket to Toledo." Veronica now understood why Betty was so upset.

"So, how long will he be in Toledo?" Veronica asked tentatively. Betty looked up, and smiled a small, watery smile.

"A week. He said he needed time to process everything, to just breathe. But he promised he would call be by the morning-"

"And he hasn't yet." Veronica finished. Betty nodded. Veronica was fuming. Why on earth would Jughead put Betty in such a state of worry like this? How could he do something so low? "I'm really scared, V. Jughead always calls when he promises, he's always there. What if something happened?" Veronica shook her head. "He's visiting his mom right? He's probably just so excited to see her again. He can't of seen her since at least summer." Betty nodded, but looked at her phone. "I'm calling him." Betty decided. Veronica grabbed her hand. "No. Call his mother. That'll make him guilty." Betty nodded and picked up her phone. She dialled, hoping against hope she got the right number.

"This is Gladys Jones, can I help you?" A feminine voice on the other side said. Betty smiled softly.

"Hi, this is Betty Cooper, I'm Jughead's girlfriend. Is Jughead there please?" Betty asked sweetly. Betty stood up and slowly paced around the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry honey. Jughead isn't here. He was meant to be here last night, but he never came. I thought he decided to stay in Riverdale."

Veronica watched Betty's face go pale. "Okay, thank you," and Betty hurriedly hung up the phone and slowly turned to Veronica.

"Betty..?" Veronica asked nervously. "What does that mean?" Betty turned to Veronica.

"Jughead definitely got on the bus. And if Jughead isn't there or here, that means-" Veronica cut her off.

"That means that Jughead is missing."

* * *

 ** _Thanks for reading guys, gals and non-binary pals :3_**


	2. Chapter 2

Jughead's head hurt really badly. He could feel himself try to wake up, but his eyelids felt heavy. He wanted to continue to sleep, but he couldn't. The pain beat the tiredness. He knew he was sitting, he could feel himself tied up. Wait, _tied up?_ Jughead's eyes snapped open. He was in a dimly lit warehouse, and it was cold. He was tied to a chair, which was attached to the ground. So even if he was to lean as far as he could, the chair would stay in place. And he had a gag in his mouth. Jughead was panicking. Where was he? Why was he here? God, what will Betty think? Betty…

Jughead groaned inwardly. He was supposed to call her. What could he do? He heard footsteps, and Jughead froze. They were slow, but they were getting closer. Jughead wanted to scream, but the gag proved its job worthy, and it was muffled incredibly well. He heard a door open. The lighting was very poor, and he couldn't see who it was. "My, Jughead Jones." The footsteps were even slower, taunting him. "You seem to be in some trouble, don't you? Don't worry. Soon, the others will figure out you are gone. But for now, I'm going to have my fun." And no one other than Clifford Blossom stepped into the light. He bent down and inspected Jughead.

"Hmm, what to do, what to do? I want to have my fun, seeing as my son couldn't handle it. But you, oh, you will be so much more fun. More people care, your girlfriend, your ginger footballer, Miss Lodge. But will they notice? I mean, you left without much warning! I'm sure they will be mad at you for leaving. But for now, it's game time." Clifford pulled out a whip, and Jughead's eyes widened, almost comically. Little did Jughead know, this was the tip of the ice-berg.

* * *

"Where could he be? I mean, the bus was a bus! It was the Toledo bus! Unless, they had an accident! Oh my god, Ronnie!" Betty was pacing and screaming, tears flowing down her face. Veronica internally rolled her eyes.

"Relax, B. If something did happen to the bus, it would be on the news. Maybe the bus broke down and he was late." Betty glared at her best friend.

"Veronica, you just said that he was missing! We need to go to the sheriff." Betty grabbed Veronica's hand, and together they marched to the Police Station.

"Wait, B, let me call Archie. He would want to know what happened." Betty nodded, and Veronica whipped out her phone. It rang about three times before Archie picked up.

" _God Ronnie. It's like, eleven. What's up?"_ Veronica looked at Betty a little warily, but spoke anyway.

"Jughead hasn't called Betty yet, so Betty just called his mom. He's not in Toledo." The other line was quiet for ten seconds.

"Arch?"

" _Where are you?"_

"We're at the Sheriff's, but-" The line went dead. Veronica sighed and put down the phone. She looked at Betty, who was nervously biting her lip. "Archie is on his way, Betts," Veronica said quietly. Betty nodded and looked at her watch. Veronica wished she could help. She couldn't imagine what she would do if Archie was missing. Even then, the blow wouldn't be as big.

Although neither of them would admit it, she knew that Betty and Jughead loved each other. It radiated from them almost all the time. They were soulmates. For her, Archie is a friend with benefits. She knows, one day, maybe soon, they will grow to something more. Yes, they had a moment at Jughead's party, but Veronica needed time before they became official.

She stole another glance at Betty. No, she couldn't tell her about her and Archie. Veronica still wasn't sure if Betty was one hundred percent over Archie. Betty seemed happy with Jughead, but if she was told that Veronica and Archie were a thing behind her back, she could become jealous or angry.

Veronica's train of thought was interrupted by an out of breath Archie running at them. He was puffing, with a light sheen of sweat across his brow. "I came as fast as possible. What do you mean Jug's not in Toledo?" Archie looked confused, yet concerned. Although they had a rough patch, Jughead was still Archie's friend. And roommate, Veronica thought to herself. Veronica wasn't sure as to why Jughead wasn't home, but after seeing his father, she knew she wouldn't want to live with him.

"Jughead caught that bus, right? And he was supposed to call me thirteen hours ago. We called his mom, but she said he wasn't there." Betty said, her voice straining. Archie looked momentarily confused.

"Have you called him?" Archie questioned. Betty's eyes widened. She whipped out her phone and pressed 1 on speed dial. Veronica felt a little hurt. She knew that she used to be 1 on her speed dial. Betty changed it?

Betty put the phone on speaker. It rang four times before Jughead picked up. Betty sighed with relief.

"Jug? You there?" Betty asked timidly. The other line was silent. Archie and Veronica shared a scared look. Betty tried again.

"Jughead? Please answer me." Betty eyes shone with tears. Why wasn't Jughead responding? Finally a voice on the other side said,

"Betty."

It was quiet, and sounded thick. Veronica knew there was something else in his voice, but she couldn't place it. Betty almost dropped her phone. Her voice took on a firmer tone when she said, "Jughead, where are you? This isn't funny. You're not in Toledo like you said." Although Betty's voice was stern, her facial features and body language said otherwise. Veronica knew she was afraid and a little angry. Then out of the blue, the phone beeped. Jughead had hung up. Betty stared at her phone in horror.

"Jughead never hangs up. Something's wrong. And did you hear his voice?" Veronica nodded. Archie spoke.

"He sounded scared." Veronica stared at Archie.

"Jughead? Scared? No way." But Betty nodded.

"Archie's right. Jughead's only sounded like that once before, and that was when he told me that his mom took Jellybean and left him with FP."

Okay, Veronica thought. Although Jughead was her friend, she was going to admit. The Jones' had really weird names.

"We need to tell the Sheriff. Jughead is in trouble," Betty said. Veronica nodded once before following Betty and Archie into the station. They wandered around until they found Sheriff Keller talking to FP. Sheriff Keller turned to the three.

"What are you doing here?" Keller accused, more confused than angry. Archie stepped forward.

"Please, Sheriff, something's wrong. Jughead is gone."

At the mention of his son's name, FP's head snapped up. He scrambled up, trying to reach Archie through the iron bars he was behind.

"Jughead's gone? What do you mean?"

Betty looked FP straight in the eye. She knew that Jughead cared for his dad, although he had an odd way of showing it. But Jughead didn't leave Riverdale with his mom. He could've, but he believed that his dad could change. She knew that Jughead was planning on moving back in with FP, before the whole arresting fiasco.

"Last night, Jughead bought a bus ticket to Toledo, to stay with his mom for a week. He was supposed to get there later that night, maybe four in the morning. He was going to call me by eleven this morning, but-"

"But he hasn't yet," FP finished, exhaling loudly. He closed his eyes for a count of three. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked at the three. "Anything else?" He asked tentatively.

"We tried calling him, maybe five minutes ago. He answered, but," Veronica tried explaining, when Betty cut her off.

"It's too hard to explain. I saved the call. Take a listen," and Betty took out her phone, pressed multiple times on the screen before laying it in her hand. The whole call started to play, both Betty and Jughead's voices plain as rain in the silent station. When the recording ended, Betty turned off her phone and looked at Sheriff Keller, daring him to defy her.

"Jughead," a voice said, startling the three teenagers. It was FP, staring at the place where Betty had been holding her phone, looking upset. More than upset, almost distraught. "My son, he's, he doesn't sound like that. Ever. He's in trouble."

Everyone looked at each other.

Betty was right. Something went wrong, Jughead was gone.

* * *

Jughead looked up slowly at Clifford. He was cleaning his whip fondly. The last half hour had been filled with maniacal laughter, the sound of a whip hitting flesh, and cries of pain. Clifford had ripped off Jughead's blazer, dress shoes and ripped open his shirt. Jughead, of course, had still been wearing his suit from the homecoming. For some reason, Clifford hadn't taken his beanie. As if he knew it was his security blanket, his bullet-proof vest. Only it wasn't protecting him. Jughead's body was on fire, bleeding and bruised. His phone, somehow, was still in his pant pocket. If Clifford was telling the truth, Jughead had been unconscious for about fifteen hours, which was a long time. If Jughead was correct, it was roughly four in the afternoon. Clifford looked at Jughead, having felt his eyes on him.

"What are you looking at?" Clifford snapped, whipping Jughead's cheek. He whimpered. He could taste the coppery liquid in his mouth, of which is blood. Jughead wanted to cry, to scream, to kick Clifford so hard in the nether region that he would permanently sing soprano. But he couldn't do any. Most of all, he wanted Betty. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, to hold her, to kiss her. But Jughead wasn't sure if he would even make it. The way he was being treated, and he had only been conscious for half an hour, forty minutes tops. Eventually Clifford left, leaving him alone in the cold room, somewhere in an abandoned warehouse.

Jughead was in his own little bubble, trying to keep his head down. Eventually, he fell asleep, exhausted from the pain. He awoke to footsteps, walking quickly in his direction. Knowing who it was, Jughead raised his sore head in a somewhat defiant manner, trying to show that he wasn't afraid. The door opened. Clifford strode in, holding a bottle of water and a small bowl of grapes. Clifford put the substances of the ground and removed Jughead's gag. Jughead didn't say a word. Neither did Clifford.

He raised a grape to Jughead's mouth, waiting until he opened it. Jughead was a little suspicious, but his stomach growled painfully. He caved, knowing it could well have been poisoned. The grape landed on his tongue, and Jughead chewed slowly. It tasted normal. He finished the grape and swallowed, looking at the bowl hungrily. Getting the memo, Clifford grabbed another grape and placed it in Jughead's mouth. This time, Jughead bit down hard. The grape burst into two, the juices squirting in every which way.

Jughead now realised his throat was parched. Clifford raised an eyebrow and opened the water, raising the bottle to Jughead's lips. Jughead swallowed half the bottle before extracting it from his mouth. He finished the grapes and water, before Clifford replaced the gag and left. Only now, did Jughead realise that all Clifford wanted was to keep him alive. Now, Jughead was all for being alive. But, Clifford may poison his food when he wants Jughead gone. How long that would be, he didn't know.

Jughead was deep in thought when Clifford came back, holding a knife. Jughead closed his eyes, and felt a sharp pain in his thigh. Jughead screamed, eyes wide open and full of tears. The knife was cold, and the cut was more deep than shallow, but not too deep for him to bleed to death. This hurt more than the whip. Clifford just smirked, and placed the knife on Jughead's shoulder. This time, he groaned loudly in pain and closed his eyes, feeling nauseous. Clifford cut his back, and Jughead let the tears fall. Just when Clifford raised the knife to Jughead's arm, his phone rang. Clifford froze, looking at Jughead's pocket, which was glowing and vibrating, playing a soft, happy tune. Clifford snatched the phone, holding it beside Jughead. The phone had the name BETTY COOPER, in big glowing letters, with a picture of Betty laughing filling the screen. Clifford frowned, then smirked, saying, "Well now, we can't ignore darling Betty, can we?"

Before Jughead understood what was happening, Clifford pressed _accept_. Betty's voice rang through the silent warehouse.

" _Jug? You there?"_

Jughead wanted to kill Clifford Blossom. Betty sounded so timid and weak, hoping he would respond. But he couldn't. The gag was still on. Clifford noticed nothing, revelling in Jughead's sorrow and Betty's worry.

" _Jughead? Please answer me."_

Finally deciding Jughead should do something, Clifford snatched the gag from Jughead's mouth. Jughead only said one word.

"Betty,"

Jughead wanted to say more, but Clifford hung up the phone. It beeped a few times, and the picture of Betty disappeared. Clifford put the gag back on and left the room, taking Jughead's phone with him.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading guys, gals and non-binary pals! :3**_


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm sorry Ms Cooper, but there is no way that phone call confirms the fact that Jughead has disappeared."

Sheriff Keller was alone with Betty, one day after they broke in to the department. After they had replayed the message, the sheriff had ushered them out of the station, claiming they were disrupting a vital conversation he had been having with FP, and now he couldn't concentrate as Betty had filled him with worry. However, the sheriff did not believe that Jughead had disappeared, no. He thought that Betty was overthinking everything.

"But Sheriff, what if Jughead is really hurt. It's been five days and he hasn't called me, emailed or even texted me. Can't you see, something has happened to him!" Betty cried, clenching her fists. She stared the sheriff down, waiting for him to defy her again. The sheriff only sighed.

"I'm sorry Betty. But I can't –"

Betty pushed past him, making her way further into the station. She walked up to FP's cell. He glanced up at Betty, unsure of what she was doing here. The sheriff followed closely behind.

"I am going to prove that Jughead is gone," Betty hissed, whipping her phone out whilst glaring at Keller. She dialled, put the phone on speaker and gave the phone to FP before Sheriff Keller could object. The woman, Gladys Jones, answered the phone.

 _"Hello? Gladys Jones here,"_ a feminine voice said. FP opened and closed his mouth and said,

"Hey, Gladys."

The voice immediately became irritated.

 _"What is it FP. Are you going to beg me to move to Riverdale again?"_

FP clenched his jaw.

"I just want to talk to my daughter."

The other line huffed, and a muffled yell rang through the phone, echoing off the walls of the station. Soon, a much younger voice was on the phone.

 _"Hello?"_

At the sound of that, Betty's heart broke. She had spent so long fussing over Polly, being stuck in a nursing home and moving in with the Blossom's, she had no idea that Jughead had any other family. She knew his mom had left as a result of his dad falling off the wagon, but a small girl to be ripped away from Jughead…

"Hi, Jellybean. It's your dad."

 _"Dad, it's JB now. It sounds cooler,"_ a now indignant voice said. FP chuckled.

"Yeah, I remember Jughead telling me something like that. Now, listen JB-"

 _"Can I speak to Jughead please dad?"_

Betty felt faint. Five days… Jughead was supposed to be there. She gripped onto the cell bars for support.

"I thought he was visiting you," FP murmured, raking a hand through his hair. He didn't want to believe that his son was gone. He may not have been a great father, but he tried and he cared for his son's well-being.

 _"But mom said he decided to stay in Riverdale. Dad, what's going on?"_

FP drew in a sharp breath.

"About five days ago, Jug got on a one way bus straight to Toledo, supposed to be there at about five in the morning."

A tear rolled down Betty's cheek. Jughead, her rock, her soul, her love…

 _"Let me ask mom."_

Clearly audible, the three heard Jellybean ask if Jughead really was supposed to come to Toledo. They heard a very clear yes and that Gladys thought Jughead had changed his mind.

 _"Mom said he never came, which is why we thought he decided to stay."_

"It's okay, Jellybean, we've got it covered," FP said and promptly hung up. He solemnly handed Betty her phone, eyes blood shot.

"Well, Sheriff Keller? Does that prove to you that my son is gone? You have to do something!" FP growled.

"FP what do you want me to do? We have no leads-"

"Sheriff, I'm going to go look for my boyfriend. Are you going to help me or not," Betty snarled, glaring at the sheriff. He said nothing. Betty nodded and walked off, her shoes echoing and bouncing off of the walls.

* * *

Jughead lost track of time. Stuck in the chair. Stuck in the dark. Jughead could feel himself shrinking. He was tired. So tired. Sleep would come, but the nightmares. Demons coming to haunt him whenever he closed his eyes too long. Monsters with glowing red eyes, razor sharp teeth and bright orange hair would come and try to snatch him. It was only a matter of time. Archie, Betty, Jellybean. They all seemed so far away. Like an impossible dream, a hopeless goal. So far out of reach.

Sometimes, the walls closed in on Jughead. Creeping closer, closer until Jughead screamed and they were pushed back to their original position. The darkness seemed to become thicker, heavier. If Jughead looked hard enough, he swore he could see faces. Sometimes whole bodies, inching towards him.

The cold was awful too. The dingy, musty warehouse had no ventilation, no windows. No source of heating. Jughead shivered all the time, his teeth rattling non-stop.

His body hurt. Aches, cramps, sudden stinging. The lot. When Clifford came in with a new 'toy', Jughead tried to brace himself. He really did. Honestly, Jughead wondered how Clifford came up with all of these new methods. His shirt was torn to shreds, but his beanie remained untouched. Clifford rarely came in with food, and when he did. It was in tiny portions. Jughead's stomach growled in protest, being so used to burgers upon burgers. Jughead felt hollow, empty. When Jughead the terrifying yet familiar footsteps, he found himself losing a will to live. His shining light house seemed to stop lighting his way. Betty had turned off her light, so Jughead stopped steering his ship.

* * *

Betty rapped on Archie's door long and hard, not caring if she bruised her knuckles. There were much more important things. Her rapping turned to pounding, using both fists and the occasional kick. Archie soon appeared, looking frightened. One look on Betty's face, and Archie knew what was wrong.

"He's really gone, isn't he."

Betty pursed her lips, fighting the urge to cry. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She need Archie's help.

"I need Veronica, then we are going to find Jughead. And without the Sheriff's help. He may be Kevin's dad, but he is such an ass!" Betty huffed, crossing her arms.

Archie nodded, reaching to the coat rack and grabbing a hoodie.

"I still can't believe that the sheriff won't do anything to help."

"It's the sheriff. He didn't help your dad when those guys trashed the drive in," Betty claimed, rolling her eyes as they made their way down the drive. They walked to the Pembrooke. After a quick phone call, Veronica was out of the apartment in a flash.

"Okay, B. We need a plan." Veronica said. Betty thought for a moment, before clicking her fingers.

"The bus. The bus left and never made it to Toledo," at this, Betty's voice caught. She cleared her throat. "I say we follow the road, just see if we can find anything."

The other two nodded and they climbed into the car Veronica was borrowing from Smithers. Archie was driving, Veronica in front and Betty in the back. Veronica was scouring her phone, looking at traffic reports and Betty had her eyes peeled, looking left and right. Maybe five minutes out of Riverdale, Betty saw something. A broken rear-view mirror lying on the ground.

"Archie! Pull over now!"

Archie swore and swerved to the side of the road. Betty clambered out of the car, the other two struggling to keep up.

"B, what is it?"

Betty knelt to the ground. It was shattered, one large shard of glass against the black plastic. Veronica gasped, kneeling down. She wrapped Betty in a hug, and Betty hiccupped, trying not to sob. Archie stood by awkwardly, unsure of what to do with himself. To distract himself, he looked to the side of the road into the woods. He locking his gaze on one particular tree that seemed to have shed a lot a bark, as if something heavy had grazed past it forcefully.

"Oh my god."

Archie rushed to the girls, trying to pull them up.

"Archie, stop! Let go!" Veronica cried. Looking at Archie's face, she stopped. "What is it?"

Archie dragged them to the tree. Betty gingerly raised her hand to the tree, brushing her hand against the trunk. Betty looked into the woods, seeing trees in much the same condition. She tightened her ponytail and marched into the woods, the others following suit. They went deeper and deeper into the woods, until seeing a silver pick-up truck. About twenty meters from the truck was a completely destroyed bus. Betty sobbed, racing towards the bus. Archie and Veronica followed. Betty reached the bus and almost collapsed. Almost every window was broken. The bus was laying on its side. Betty picked her way through the wreckage, looking for anything. She made her way to the front, knowing that Jughead had sat there. She nearly threw up. The bus driver was lying face down on the wheel, showed in glass. Betty turned away, and one thing caught her eye. A blue travel backpack. She picked it up tenderly. It hadn't been touched.

"Betty," a small voice asked behind her. She turned around to Veronica holding up a laptop. It was cracked, barely held together. It was covered in dirt and-

"I'm so sorry."

Betty fell to the ground. It had been five days. Five whole days and Betty had no idea that this had happened. Jughead was out here somewhere. He must be. What if he was seriously hurt? What if he crawled away and-

"Betty, he's not dead."

Betty's head snapped up. Archie was kneeling down next to her, pale and weary-looking.

"We'll continue to search. He can't be too far."

Betty nodded. She stood, and as she was about to speak, a muffled cry was heard. Definitely male. The three exchanged looks and sprinted towards the direction of the sound. With laboured breathing and blurry vision, it was a miracle that Betty made it towards the source of the sound. A warehouse. There were no lights, no windows. But cries of pain were coming from the warehouse.

"V, call Sheriff Keller."

They waited about ten minutes before the sheriff arrived, gun in hand and a clear look of annoyance on his face. That is, until the cry of pain was heard again.

Betty precariously made her way to the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. She turned to Archie, the sheriff and Veronica and raised one finger to her lips. A clear message: do not make a noise. Betty opened the door slowly and tiptoed in. The cries were coming from the second story. The voice sounded so familiar, yet so alien. It was definitely Jughead. She raced up the stairs, her feet thumping with Archie and Veronica hot on her tail. Well, so much for making no noise. They burst into a room and found Jughead tied to a chair. His beanie was still on, but he had no shoes or socks on. The rest of his clothes were practically torn to shreds.

Upon seeing them, Jughead's eyes widened. Behind Jughead stood Clifford Blossom, a whip in his hand. Sheriff fired the gun, shooting Clifford in the shoulder. Betty raced to Jughead, taking his head in her hands. He looked at her, his face gaunt from lack of food. She kissed him, trying to bring some of the life back into his eyes. She found him, he was alive. Sheriff Keller untied Jughead and he slumped forward, unused to being unrestricted. Betty wrapped her arm around his waist and Jughead staggered. Archie threw Betty a concerned look.

Jughead was dizzy. The world was spinning. It wouldn't stop. He felt sick. He was going to-

Jughead fell forward and had it not been for Archie, Jughead would've fallen flat on his face. Betty felt help-less. She couldn't help him. Sheriff Keller and Archie carried Jughead back to the cars, and the four of them drove back to town, awaiting what fate had in store for them.

* * *

 _ **This chapter was not very good I'm sorry. :(**_

 _ **Thanks for reading guys, gals and non-binary pals! :3**_


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